Though the D River's honor of "world's shortest river" was challenged in 1987 by a group of ornery schoolchildren in Great Falls, Mont., the celebratory signs along Highway 101 in Lincoln City remain..."It's 105 feet, give or take five feet," said Jill Elfstrom, longtime employee of Kyllo's Seafood Grill, the restaurant that sits along side the river for most of its length. "Devil's Lake is a spring-fed lake, so [the body of water that connects it to the Pacific Ocean] fits all the criteria of being a river. I'm an old-time Lincoln City resident, and we like our information correct."..On the beach, Jody McDonald of Salem showed the river to friends visiting from Texas, including Melissa White, who grew up in Portland..."Growing up, we used to go to Cannon Beach, but that's gotten kind of boring," White said. "But I can't go home without coming to the beach.".."Don't get wet!" one of her friends exclaimed, as she stepped into the slow, shallow, legendary D River..."That's part of going to the beach," White responded.